akeley



C. E. AKELEY, TOGGLE FOR CAMERA IRIPODS.

APPLICATION man MAY 20. 191B.

Patented Dec. 16, 1919.

IIIIIIIIII II/II,

UNITED STATES PATENT, orricn. l

CARL E. AKELEY, YORK, NZ ASSIGNOR TO AKELEY CAMERA INCL, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION. I

'IOGGLE FOR GAMERA-TRIPODS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 16, 1919.

To all whom it may concern.-

7 Be it known that I, CARL E. AKnLnY, a citizen of the United States, residing at New York, county and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Toggles for Camera-Tripods, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention is embodied in a tripod for such devices as motion picture cameras or the like, and is an improvement on the devices shown and described in my former Patent No. 1,244,682, dated October 30, 1917.

The tripod of the patent referred to has legs composed of two telescopically adjust able sections or bars, held together in proper operative relation, and secured when ad justed to the proper or desired length by toggles intermediate adjacent legs which when straightened clamp together the two telescoping parts or sections of each leg.

In practical use and especially under conditions of a somewhat exacting nature, it has been found that this device was not entirely adequate, as rough handling or accidental striking of the toggles by the user or by foreign bodies was liable to upset the latter and by thus freeing the leg sections from one another, permit the tripod as a whole to collapse or break down.

To prevent this and to lock the straightened toggles so that they may not be accidentally upset has been the object in view in devising the attachment upon which this application is based, and this I have.

done by using in conjunction with the toggle a short sleeve surrounding and secured to the central or intermediate member of the toggle, and carrying a pivoted latch which is spring actuated and which enters a recess in one of the end members when the toggle is straightened out to lock the toggle in such straightened condition so that no ordinary knock or blow will upset it.

The latch has a projecting arm or lever that may be grasped by the hand to release it, when so desired, and permit the toggle to be upset by the pressure of the hand or a slight blow on the sleeve surrounding the central member.

This improvement is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which Figure 1 is a view in elevation of portions of two tripod legs, and an intermediate toggle with my improved device attached thereto and in a straightened condition.

Fig. 2 is a similar view showing the same parts with the toggle upset.

Fig. 3 is a top plan view of the togg e and its attachment; r A

Fig. 4 is a sectional *view of thesame.

Fig. 5 is a cross section of the toggle at 'tachment on line 5-5, Fig. 4:, and

Fig. 6 is a cross section ofone of its members on l1ne 66 of the same figure.-

It will-be understood that the toggle herein shown has its end members 5 and 6 pivoted to metal sleeves 7 and 8, which are secured to the rods or sections of the tripod legs 9, and surround the upper rods or sec tions of the same 10, forming a telescoping joint between the two. 7

Flexible metallicplates or blades 11 are pivoted to the rods 9 near their upper ends and have strips of leather 12 attached to them, and when the two leg sections have been adjusted to the desired relations and the toggle straightened out, the ends of the end members suitably formed for this purpose press the metal blades 11 against the upper leg sections and lock the upper V and lower sections firmly together.

The toggles may be modified in character or form, but I prefer to use a solid end mem ber 6, a central or intermediate member 13 near one end of which is pivoted the end member 6, and into which at the other end the second end member 5 is adapted to slide, being connected with it by a pin 14, working in a longitudinal slot 15. 7

Over the intermediate member 13 is placed and secured a sleeve 16, having projections 17 extending below said member to which is pivoted a curved arm 18, thatserves as a latch, by having a turned up end 19 adapted, when the toggle is straightened, to enter a recess 20 in the solid end member 6. A spring 21 exerts on this latch lever a force tending to keep its upturned end engaged'in the notch.

The toggle is straightened or set without the use of the sleeve 16, but when the latch engages with the end member'6, it'is' securely held in its set position. To release it the sleeve and lever 18 are grasped and the latch withdrawn fromits engagement whereupon by forcing the sleeve down or striking it a blow with the hand the toggle is upset.

As above pointed out this device entirely obviates the danger or" upsetting the toggle under almost any conditions of rough usage, and the device forms a valuable addition to an otherwise highly usefi'il and serviceable means of adjusting a tripod.

"What I claim is l. A tripod comprising in combination a plurality of upper sections, a plurality of lower sections each telescopically engaged with a corresponding one of said upper sections, toggle mechanism which when straightened binds the upper sections to the lower sections, and a latch secured to one of the toggle members and adapted to engage with another of such members when said members are in their operative binding position.

2. A tripod comprising in combination a plurality of upper sections, a plurality of lower sections each telescopically engaged with a corresponding one of said uppersections, toggle mechanism which when straightened binds the upper sections to the lower sections, a latch secured to one of the toggle members and adapted to engage with another of such members when said members are in their operative binding position, and a spring acting on said latch and tending to maintain it in such engagement whereby the toggle is prevented from being upset.

3. In a device of the kind described, the combination with a toggle composed of end members and an intermediate member of a spring actuated latch carried by the intermediate member and adapted to enter a recess in one of the end members when the toggle is straightened and to thereby lock the toggle in such position.

4. In a device of the kind described, the combination with a toggle composed of end members and an intermediate member of a sleeve surrounding and secured to the intermediate member, a spring actuated latch lever pivoted to said sleeve and adapted to enter a recess in one of the end members when the toggle is straightened and to thereby lock the toggle in such position.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature.

CARL E. A KELEY. 

